Narrow Huey P. Long Bridge lanes about to get a bit wider

Motorists on the notoriously narrow Huey P. Long Bridge are about to get a little extra side-view-mirror room as the $1.2 billion bridge widening project enters a new phase. Later this month, bridge traffic will shift onto a new wider road surface as the bridge's existing lanes are demolished and rebuilt.

The two temporary 10-foot-wide lanes in each direction will be a foot wider than the existing lanes on the Depression-era bridge built for Model Ts, not SUVs.

Once the project is completed in mid-2013, the bridge will have three 11-foot lanes in each direction, with an 8-foot outside shoulder and a 2-foot inside shoulder.

The project, which began in 2006, will more than double the paved surface on each side of the bridge from 18 feet to 43 feet.

The lane switch is tentatively set for April 29. To mark the occasion, bridge officials are holding a drawing for motorists to be either the last to use the old lanes or the first to use the new ones.

To enter the "Last on the Lanes, First to the Future" contest, visit the project's website at www.timedla.com/bridge/long/overview/contest_entry.aspx